Tyson Fury should face Francis Ngannou in a mixed rules bout where rules change between rounds, according to his former training partner Tom Aspinall.
The world heavyweight champions met in the ring after Fury's latest title defence against Dillian Whyte last month, and appeared to agree to a crossover fight which won't take place under standard boxing rules. Fury has said that he would be willing to wear MMA gloves which are less than half the size of boxing mitts, but maintain relatively standard boxing rules.
However, his pal Aspinall believes that he should use a similar ruleset to the one implemented in MMA legend Demetrious Johnson's recent mixed-rules fight with Muay Thai fighter Rodtang Jitmuangnon earlier this year in ONE Championship. There, rules changed from MMA to Muay-Thai between rounds, with Johnson winning in the second, or the first under MMA rules.
Of course, Fury wouldn't agree to do a five-minute MMA round with Ngannou. But Aspinall has suggested a fight where after each round Ngannou survives, he is given a new tool to add to his arsenal.
Asked by Sky Sports about what should be in place for the super-fight, Aspinall replied: “Little gloves, for sure, and five-minute rounds, that would definitely make it a little bit even.
"I think they should do first round boxing only. Second round, maybe, boxing and low kicks. And third round, I don’t know, boxing, low kicks, and clinching. I think something like that would make it a bit more even.”
Going under the full ruleset of either man's sport would offer an essentially insurmountable advantage to the home fighter, as evidenced in previous crossover bouts. Randy Couture instantly submitted James Toney in their UFC meeting, while Floyd Mayweather made relatively easy work of Conor McGregor when they boxed.
But both Ngannou and Fury have some experience in one another's respective sports. The Cameroonian initially moved to France to pursue a career as a championship boxer, while Aspinall insists that the Brit has grappled with him before and has an interest in the other arts.
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“I’ve grappled with him [Fury] before," Aspinall explained. "He’s interested in it. So, I know he’s done bits of grappling, bits of kicks, and all that. He was down in our gym training with Darren Till before, doing kicks on the pads and all that stuff. So, he’s definitely got interest in it. I don’t know. I’d love to see it, though.”
Aspinall is also in pursuit of Ngannou, and could be as close as two fights away from a shot at the world title. He faces No.4-ranked Curtis Blaydes in London on July 23, while he currently holds the No.6 spot after racing into contention in the UFC's heavyweight division.
However, as his contract dispute rages on with the promotion, Ngannou may have left the UFC by the time Aspinall is ready for his title opportunity. The champion also won't fight any time soon regardless of his contract status due to his recovery from knee surgery.
